Peeling back a corner of the universe to glimpse the utter chaos that lies behind.

Aug 8, 2009

Monster-Cross

Most bikes fit into a convenient category; bikes with drop bars, tight frames and narrow tires are "road bikes", those with stout tubing, compact geometry and wide tires are "mountain bikes" (unless they run slicks and get branded as "commuters" or "city bikes"). The old ten-speeds stripped down to the bare minimum and run fixed are "fixies" or less flatteringly, "hipster bikes".

There are two kinds of bikes I can't quite pigeon-hole. The first is the very nice, steel, seat-as-high-as-the-bars bike that Rivendel and some other manufacturers produce. I've heard these called "day-tourers or rando bikes" but I just don't know if that's a common usage. The other bike that seems to defy current categories is my humble Rawland.

Browsing the blabbage on Bikeforums tonight, I came across the moniker "Monster Cross" used to describe the Rawland and the Salsa Fargo. I like that name. It's kind of a cyclo-cross bike, but it's more mountain bike-like and can run bigger, knobbier tires (even 29'ers, if you so choose..).

The first two photos are my Sogn; the third photo is one I snagged off BF of the Fargo. They look like very similar bikes in many respects. I like this niche; it's like a comfortable road-warrior ride.

On a related note, I caved in today and sprung for a rear rack for the Rawland. I liked the look of the bike without the rack, but found the inability to run panniers to be enough of a hassle to add a rack. I'll be rocking some snappy Ortliebs by Monday, I reckon.